Rolled in DUST

Oh, The Backstories!! — I have been reading this author's delightful romance books about life in the Australian Outback for years now, and I love it when I see another Elsie Creek book show up at a book review site. Like all books in the series, the author does an excellent job transporting you to this rough-and-tumble scorched Earth section of Australia. Truly, I get immersed in her books, not wanting to stop reading when I should go about my day! I’ll admit, however, that this book took me a bit longer to get into than most of hers. I didn't like the hero for a long time—not a fan of bad-boy romance—and the hero and heroine's instant attraction did not feel real to me in the least. But this book is not just a romance, as it also has a strong women's fiction vibe as well, and that's what kept me reading (along with enjoying visiting with Elsie Creek regulars known from other books). As I kept reading, I wondered about the heroine's mysterious past, and I grew to care more about her, her darling little girl, and even eventually the hero. By the end of the story, the author had me feeling for all the main characters and living the terror of those final scenes. My favorite character was Billie, the heroine's absolutely adorable 5-year-old girl. I loved roller skating when I was that age, too! I would have loved her shed turned into a roller rink! The girl was so sweet and thoughtful, and I liked how she brought out a better side of the hero. I loved the prominence of Cecil the water buffalo, who plays either a minor or large part in each Elsie Creek book. I thought it was excellent to see him so much in passing in most of the book, but I absolutely loved how he was instrumental in one of those pivotal last scenes. Ultimately, this was a well-done story, though not my favorite in this series. I think Muster in the Dust has been my favorite… so far!. -- TRIGGER WARNING: domestic violence (past offscreen, present offscreen and onscreen) — I received a free copy of this book, but that didn't affect my review.

This book is one in a series and I think would have been better read as part of the series. I kept getting the feeling there were stories I should know about the secondary characters. There were a lot of people to get to know in one batch and meeting them in previous books might have lessened the brain strain. The romance is between new to town Que who has finally decided to settle down in one place for the sake of her five year old daughter Billie who is starting school, and former bad boy Connor who is a local but hasn't been back in fifteen years since he ran away to join the navy. His mum, Bertha, has a heart attack on Que's first day in town and he's come home to help out on the farm now his mum is coming home from hospital. They are next door neighbours and being a neighbourly sort of place, bound to see something of each other even if the first time they meet was not a success. Both Que and Connor have backstories that make them feel worthless although for Billie, Que is doing her best to be the best mum ever. The two make a physical connection and this leads to a friendship that they both know will be temporary because Connor is leaving as soon as his mum is better. I did enjoy seeing these two open up to each other about their past, although Que held back some things until forced to reveal them to help another young mum who was in trouble. Although the physical connection was portrayed as intense, we don't actually see any of the more intimate interactions and while this is a deliberate choice, I did feel I was missing out on some opportunities for a deeper understanding of their relationship growth. Especially so for Que considering her past history as hinted at and later revealed. There was some pretty intense drama at the climax and the ending between Que and Connor was satisfactory. Do look out for the mini Water Buffalo called Cecil who is apparently a feature of the town and has some notable scene stealing moments. #CW for mention of domestic violence and abuse on and off page and in the past. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

If you like warm characters, charming humor, drama and small town charm, then you’ll adore MEL A ROWE well-spun tale. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.